1968 Virginia Tech Gobblers football team

1968 Virginia Tech Gobblers football
Liberty Bowl, L 17–34 vs. Ole Miss
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	Jerry Claiborne (8th season)
Home stadium	Lane Stadium
Seasons ←  1967 1969  →

1968 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Penn State			–					11	–	0	–	0
Rutgers			–					8	–	2	–	0
West Texas State			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Notre Dame			–					7	–	2	–	1
Florida State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Air Force			–					7	–	3	–	0
Army			–					7	–	3	–	0
Buffalo			–					7	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Houston			–					6	–	2	–	2
Utah State			–					7	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	3	–	0
West Virginia			–					7	–	3	–	0
VPI			–					7	–	4	–	0
Pacific			–					6	–	4	–	0
Syracuse			–					6	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	0
Xavier			–					6	–	4	–	0
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	5	–	0
New Mexico State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					4	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss			–					4	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					3	–	6	–	1
San Jose State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					2	–	8	–	0
Tulane			–					2	–	8	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					1	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 Virginia Tech Gobblers football team represented the Virginia Polytechnic Institute or VPI (now known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or Virginia Tech) as an independent during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jerry Claiborne the Gobblers compiled an overall record of 7–4 and with a loss against Ole Miss in the Liberty Bowl. VPI played home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	at No. 7 Alabama	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 7–14	63,759	[2] [3]
September 28	at William & Mary	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	W 12–0	15,000	[4]
October 5	Kansas State	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 19–34	19,000	[5]
October 12	Wake Forest	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 7–6	31,000	[6]
October 18	at No. 13 Miami (FL)	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	L 8–13	36,844	[7]
October 26	West Virginia	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	W 27–12	33,000	[8]
November 2	at No. 18 Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 40–22	31,342	[9]
November 9	Richmond	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	W 31–18	12,000	[10]
November 16	at South Carolina	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC	W 17–6	40,137	[11]
November 28	vs. VMI	Victory Stadium Roanoke, VA (rivalry)	W 55–6	17,000	[12]
December 14	vs. Ole Miss	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	L 17–34	46,206	[13]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

At No. 7 Alabama

Tech lost 14-7 to the 7th-ranked team in the nation in front of a crowd of 63,759 in Birmingham. At the time it was the largest audience in school history. The Gobblers scored on a blocked punt by Larry Creekmore recovered in the end zone by Jud Bronwell. Tech was dominated by the Crimson Tide defense, racking up only three first downs, the first coming in the fourth quarter. ^[14]

At William & Mary

The Tech special teams scored a touchdown and a safety by blocking two punts and put up its first offensive points of the year with a 20-yard field goal by Jack Simscack. The Gobblers defense pitched a shutout, helped by defensive back Ron Davidson who picked off three W&M passes. ^[15]

Roster

The following players were members of the 1968 football team according to the roster published in the 1969 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook. ^[16]

VPI 1968 roster
	Art Aguilar David Bailey Frank Beamer David Binko Preston Blackburn Steve Bocko William G. "Jerry" Boykin Jud Brownell James Edward "Eddie" Carter Dennis Cogan Chris Frank Collis George Constantinides Donald Dewitt Cooke Larry Creekmore J. Dee Crigger Daniel Cupp Ron Davidson Peter Francis Dawyot Nick DelViscio		Kenneth Wayne Edwards Doug Gainous Jerry Green George Butch Hall Waddey Harvey Bert Henderson D. Hickman Wayne Humphries Hank Immel John Ivanac Al Kincaid Larry Kushner Dickie Longerbeam Leonard Angelo Luongo T. MacDonald John Lawrence Maxwell Tom Mikulski Frederick Marshall Mooney Thomas Irwin Parks		James Anthony Pigninelli Rick Piland Paul Ripley Gil Schwabe Jack Simcsak Bill Skinner Bobby Slaughter Leonard James Smith Terry Smoot L. Wayne Stonesifer Larry Duke Strager Tom Swords Perry Tiberio John Randolph Treadwell Joe Tucker Danny Waller Mike Widger S. Womack

References

1. "1968 Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
2. Whittaker, Dave (September 22, 1968). "Tide tames Gobblers". The Florence Times. p. 9. Retrieved October 12, 2013– via Google News Archives.
3. Land, Charles (September 22, 1968). "Tide just good enough, 14–7". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 11. Retrieved October 12, 2013– via Google News Archives.
4. "Gobblers block out W-M, 12–0". The Miami Herald. September 29, 1968. Retrieved October 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. Young, Ed (October 6, 1968). "Inspired K-State Team Devours Virginia Tech's Football Gobblers, 34-19". The Danville Register . Danville, Virginia. Associated Press. p. 1D. Retrieved January 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
6. Lindquist, Jerry. "Gobblers nip Deacons 7–6". Richmond Times Dispatch.
7. Brill, Bill (October 19, 1968). "Miami is 13–8 winner over Tech's Gobblers". Roanoke Times.
8. "Tech defeats WVU with offense, 27–12". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 27, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Virginia Tech Gobblers clout luckless FSU Seminoles 40–22". News-Press. November 3, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Virginia Tech turns back Richmond by 31 to 18 count". The Danville Register. November 10, 1968. Retrieved October 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Gamecocks bow to VPI by 17–6". The News and Observer. November 17, 1968. Retrieved January 21, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tech express floods VMI in wave of touchdowns". The Commercial Appeal. November 29, 1968. Retrieved January 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Ole Miss overcomes early Tech blitz, 34–17". Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 14, 1968. Retrieved October 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "7th ranked Crimson Tide creams VPI". Sunday News, Lancaster, PA. September 22, 1968.
15. "Gobblers block out W-M, 12–0". The Miami Herald. September 29, 1968. Retrieved October 26, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
16. "The Bugle 1969". Virginia Tech Bugle . 1969. p. 88. Retrieved August 25, 2019.